SoccerMom - 2011 - SoccerMom EP

Indie/ Pop

[FOR FREE]

http://soccermomspokane.bandcamp.com/

• 6 songs to download
• You name the price (min 0,-)
• You get the link if you register your email address
• Listening recommendations: Against the Grain, Mirrors, College Dreams

English

We celebrate the last day of the meteorological summer by presenting you another almost perfectly fitting summer record for the sunny and weightless days that hopefully are still to come. The catchy songs on this EP should go along swimmingly with Swimming and Fort Lean. Soccermom used a quite varied selection of guitar, drum, piano and synth sounds to create these songs, having every one of those songs leaving a refreshing impression. The lead singer is also incredibly gifted with a carefree sounding and extremely likeable voice. The feel good mood conveyed in the 3 songs listed in the recommendation section is especially contagious. The other songs are well made as well but aren't as catchy, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. The whole record is still a huge success for their first outing. This is definitely another band where I have no clue how they manage to stay rather undetected, which of  course also has a Facebook page you can "like". By all means, do so to spread awareness for bands that deserve it and this band is no exception. Summer is over but music in our ears keeps shining on thanks to bands like Soccermom, even though I would be quite interested to hear how they thought of their rather unusual band name.

Ektoise - 2011 - Kiyomizu

Ambient/ Alternative/ Electronica

[FOR FREE]

http://ektoise.bandcamp.com/album/kiyomizu

• 10 songs to download
• For free
• Direct Download
• Listening recommendations: Kuroi Kami, There and Here, The Golden Bough

Today we finally got around to writing a proper review for Ektoise, which were already featured in the mail bag section once. There was quite a lot of good feedback regarding these guys, so we thought it might be a good idea to extend our impressions.

English

Writing this review has caused my brain to burn out at least twice now, as if experiencing the album is the only way to tell someone about it and trying to do so by any other means boggles the mind. Genre douchebaggery and descriptors floating in the air around me. That may sound like faint praise for Kiyomizu; the new release from Ektoise. But that is not the case, nor the intention. No, the album itself is exceptional, it's just densely packed into a ten song aural experience unlike any other I've had the pleasure of listening to in a long long time.

One might come to take the band, and the album as a whole to be the post-rock same old, same old going by the lushly textured, yet sludgy post-rock staple song structure of opener, “The Shoreline by Morning.” After that however, any pretense of what to expect is thoroughly tossed aside, as Ektoise let loose with a sonic attack from all possible angles. This is not a band concerned with genre restrictions or labels as songs freely flow from one time signature into another, totally changing musical landscapes along the way. “There and Here” is a prime example of this, starting out as paranoid trance before transforming in thudding drum led techno-rock akin to big-beat wrapped in noise and feedback, then bleeding itself out into a piano and drum freak out that ends in near silence. Obviously the calm before the storm, as “Square Peg” comes out of the gate firing on all industrial metal cylinders to pummel everything in it's path, namely the listener. And album closer “Down River” wouldn't seem that out of place on an album by dark ambient pioneer Lustmord. There are no discernible lyrics on the record, and it's better off for it. None of these songs require words to create images of warm, serene beauty and grimy Teutonic nightmares in equal measure. Of the ten tracks, only “Dissolved”s chilled out guitar riffs swimming casually in space could really support a voice without it feeling out of place. Get the right female vocalist and this would be a smash on the charts. That being said, even the most relaxed, less rock focused songs that round out the album have a sense of urgency to them that makes everything fit and flow together naturally. Not rushed by any means, more a sense of purpose and destination in mind than playing through 70+ minutes of music as fast as they can.

An album that's too good to be free. You'd be doing yourself a disservice not grabbing it from their bandcamp.

Lucky Penny - 2011 - Lucky Penny

Indie Folk Pop

[FOR FREE]

http://lucky-penny.bandcamp.com/album/lucky-penny

• 5 songs to download
• You name the price (min 0,-)
• You get the link if you register your email address
• Listening recommendations: Snake, Bound North

English

After the last two Bands I introduced you to, we are now back on a very soothing terrain of music. This EP starts off with a minimalist, but nonetheless captivating melody to set the tone of the record. The basic instruments you'll get to hear are guitars plus a few occasional other minor background sounds. One interesting feature is the very harmonic use of their voices as such a background sound in some parts of their songs. Since this is a collaboration project you'll also notice some variations within the song structures of the different songs. The bitter sweet, cute "Memory" and the song "What you want for yourself", sung by a male lead singer, especially stand out in that regard, since the other 3 songs have a similar song structure and feeling, despite not even sung by the same female lead singer. The best songs in my opinion are "Snake" and "Bound North". I can't put my finger on it, but something about how the singer uses her voice to tell her stories is really mesmerizing. It's a bit unfortunate that you can hear a slight hissing in the background, which tends to be especially noticeable in slower, quiet records like these. I like all of those songs, though. Definitely an interesting listen, even though probably better matched to a laid back listening session during the colder season of the year.

Rigoletto - 2011 - Prodigal Again

Alternative Rock

[FOR FREE]

http://rigoletto.bandcamp.com/

• 5 songs to download
• You name the price (min 0,-)
• You get the link if you register your email address
• Listening recommendations: Absconder, Lamp Posts

English

No one can honestly argue anymore that the Internet is just a fad that will go away if you turn around. But how seriously can you take the claims of people who managed to fulfill their dreams or start their careers with showing initiative on the world wide web? This band is a remarkable success already in that we are able to listen to their songs at all. They set up a Kickstarter Project to raise awareness for the need of funding just to get their songs made and in the end collected 2500$ by people getting together for a similar goal - Helping a band making music all would like to hear in full glory. So what about the music that came from this initiative and this shining example of generosity? It turned out pretty damn good. It starts off with an inconspicuous 30 seconds intro that slides into the first full length song where Rigoletto show that they know their way around their instruments and catchy, strong and impressive song parts, albeit a bit traditional as far as the Alternative Rock Genre goes. This EP really begins to shine from song 3 "An enemy did this" onwards, though. Original and interesting song structures that varyingly accompany the vocal parts make these tracks definitely something you'd want to listen to more than only once. There are some striking instrumental parts, like the guitar riffs in Song 5 "Sugar", but also some subtle nuances that might go over your head at first, most prominently the "clicking" of the drummer, for example in Song 4 "Lamp posts". This is an EP that will take and deserves more than one listen to find and fully appreciate all the layers those guys worked into their songs. Thumbs up for everyone who donated to this cause. Additionally: This might just be the best Cover Art I've seen this year so far.

The Night Terrors - 2010 - Nasty

Indie Rock

[FOR FREE]

http://thenightterrorsofficial.bandcamp.com/album/nasty
http://thenightterrorsofficial.bandcamp.com/album/dont-go-out-after-midnight

• 6 songs to download, divided on 2 EP's
• For free
• Direct Download
• Listening recommendations: Fear the Worst, Video Nasty

English

This is a band I've been sitting on for quite a while now. They should be right up your alley if you like some of the more famous Indie Rock bands, like Mando Diao and the likes. Strong, frantic guitar riffs and a very charismatic voice ensure that their songs are very easily stuck in your head if you heard them once. I have no idea how they managed to stay this well hidden with fantastic songs like "Video Nasty" and especially "Fear the Worst". Actually, the only explanation I can think of is the unfortunate choice for the bandname as there is another rather popular band that will pop up if you google "Night Terrors". So be aware of that if you are searching for their website (or let me help you: Click). It seems like their first 2 song EP was moderately well known, but they somehow didnt manage to advertise their second EP as much, which is a real shame. Good music of this genre seems to get rarer by the day with the most well known Indie Rock Bands like Mando Diao, Strokes, Arctic Monkeys and more going creatively the way of the dodo or changing to other subgenres - most noticeably Electronica currently. Despite the last activity on their website being quite a few months ago, I hope The Night Terrors know that their music is still wanted and, even if it takes a while, get back together at some point to make new songs that I can get my hands on.

Stallions - 2011 - The Great War EP

Indie Pop

[FOR FREE]

http://stallions.bandcamp.com

• 6 songs to download
• For free
• Direct Download
• Listening recommendations: A Proper Answer, Girl by the Dock

English

Stallions make well-crafted, serene Singer-Songwriter Indie Pop. It took me a few listens and maybe I wouldn't even have given this EP a fair chance if not for the reason of writing a review about it, but it grew on me after a while. After listening to these songs once, you might not even have noticed all the different instruments used here, namely guitar, bass, keyboards and violin. During my first time through it, I was too focussed on the vocals to notice any subtleties in the instrumentation, which is partly my fault and also partly the fault of Stallions, also pointing out the biggest flaw in this EP. These songs are sort of traditional Indie Pop songs, and they are quite good at that (especially song 2 "A Proper Answer" and 3 "Girl by the dock"), but this record is probably missing some sort of highlight, or more variety in general to set them apart from the many other Singer-Songwriter outings out there. They tried to mix up things with the instrumental song "Hiroshima", but I got the feeling that they need to find another interesting idea for a future EP or full fledged album release to attract more attention. However, they know how to make good music, I really hope they find another interesting angle to present it on top of the solid foundation they showed here.

The Manhattan Syndrome - 2011 - And we left it behind

Alternative Pop

[FOR FREE]

http://themanhattansyndrome.bandcamp.com/album/and-we-left-it-behind

• 4 songs to download
• For free
• Direct Download
• Listening recommendations: The Manhattan Syndrome, Hollowheads

English

This band is another definitive recommendation for anyone slightly interested in harmonic pop music. The band combines drum, synthesizer, piano & guitar sounds with the memorable voice of the lead singer, interwoven by subtle, instrumental passages, which are as outstanding as the main parts of these songs. The fourth song "Hollowheads" and especially the third song "The Manhattan Syndrome" are probably among the most beautiful songs I've heard this year. With their superb instrumentation they set the stage for haunting tales of love and loss that "will stay with you until they dry". On top of three rather melancholic songs they also show with "Carnival" that they are perfectly able to create songs that stray from their usual perfectly harmonic formula, which is quite refreshing regarding the arrangement of the tracks on this EP. Whatever they set out to accomplish before they recorded "And we left it behind", I can't help but imagining that not even the band members themselves could have envisioned creating something as masterfully, organic and mesmerizing before. I really hope that this is not the last we'll hear from The Manhattan Syndrome.

Mailbag #1

Mailbag time! This blog is about free music and bands who take the time to contact me shouldnt be ignored. Lots of interesting music out there, and unfortunately I don't have the time to cover everything. This section is devoted to bands who contacted me and other bands I found but didn't feel like writing a review about. Click the album picture for the Bandpage.

Boring Girls - Boring Girls: Lo-Fi Alternative Rock.

Quite energetic Garage rock. Boring Girls seemingly split already, though.The current Project of two ex-members is Ill Murray.

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Ektoise - Kiyomizu: Ambient Electronic Rock.

These guys are actually pretty great. Diverse and thoughtfully put together instrumental tracks. Check it out if you are interested in the genre description. Lots of enjoyable tracks.

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Raquela Berakiki - Shuki Pai EP: Lo-Fi Pop.

If you ever wondered how Pop from the Phillippines might sound like, here is your chance to find out.

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Digital Disorder - Village EP: Noise Rock

Very raw, but they show an interesting potential in their first EP. Hopefully, they'll get to use better recording equipment for their next record.

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Mateo - Demo: Ambient Instrumental

This guy shows a lot of promise. Interesting and laid back compositions, perfect for background listening. More of his Music to be found at his Soundcloud Page.

Oldboy Records - 2011 - Oldboy Records EP

Electronic Pop

[NOT FREE ANYMORE]

http://oldboyrecords.bandcamp.com/

• 6 songs to download
• You name the price (min 0,-)
• You get the link if you register your email address
• Listening recommendations: Pale White Heat, Cold and Bright, Send Her Off

English

It seems like the number of great musicians giving their music away for free exploded in the last year. This guy is another example for that. He is able to make some distinctive electronic tunes, which he is very aptly mixing with harmonic samples of his own voice, best seen in the first and second song of this EP. Those tracks also have the most distinct uptempo beats on the record, making your feet tap without you noticing. Those first two songs and the third song "Cold and Bright" strike me as the most interesting ones on this EP. The simple but very charming harmonies and the intriguing lyrics of "Cold and Bright" make this a very interesting and bittersweet ballad, that will definitely find its way into my regular recommendations to friends. Additionally, Oldboy Records managed to keep his songs fresh due to different variations for reocurring song parts. Slightly altering the volume or adding a different sound to an already introduced theme go a long way of ensuring that listeners wont get tired of your songs too fast and he does that pretty effectively, despite being somewhat subtle about it. One point which is slightly bugging me is that the volume level is is a bit inconsistent throughout the record, and especially song 5 "Silver Spaceship" seems to be way too quiet. Other than that, definitely recommended and worth checking out.

Fort Lean - 2011 - Fort Lean

Indie/Rock/Pop

[FOR FREE]

http://fortlean.bandcamp.com/

• 4 songs to download
• For free
• Direct Download
• Listening recommendations: Beach Holiday, High Definition
• Click this for a video Interview, including Live Performances: Nice Video

Deutsch

Erstmal ein Dank an die Leute von Breakthru Radio, die mich mit den Sachen die mich für meinen Blog interessieren auf dem Laufenden halten. Fort Lean sind eine weitere Band die uns mit Musik für den Sommer versorgen und sollten damit recht gut zu der Swimming EP passen, die ich vor einigen Tagen geposted hatte. Ihre Musik basiert auf Gitarren, Schlagzeug, einem eher subtilen Synthesizer und der sehr angenehmen Stimme des Sängers. Schon der erste Song der EP macht ansteckend gute Laune, aber auch der Rest brauch sich nicht verstecken. Ich zweifle nicht daran dass diese Jungs noch viel populärer werden wenn es Ihnen weiterhin gelingt auf dem Niveau Musik zu machen. Leicht beschwingte Texte, Ohrwum Melodien und die Fähigkeit sehr zugängliche Musik aus allen Einzelteilen zusammenzufügen, werden auch Ihren Teil dafür tun dass die Band stetig Fans dazu gewinnen wird. Dem Video Interview mit Breakthru Radio zufolge, ist die Band auch bereits dabei an neuen Demo Songs zu arbeiten. Ein späterer Besuch Ihrer Bandcamp Seite sollte sich also durchaus lohnen. Alternative gibts auch das volle Programm an Netzwerkseiten, auf denen Ihr natürlich auch nach Infos suchen könnt: Facebook, Myspace, Twitter. Ich freu mich auf mehr.

English

Huge thanks for the folks over at Breakthru Radio for the heads up on this one, and also for keeping me up to date with their stuff. Fort Lean is another band making a few nice tunes for the summer. This should be going well with the Swimming EP, posted a few days ago. Their sound consists of drums, guitars, the subtle use of a synthesizer and a very pleasant voice by the lead singer. The first song is contagious and probably effortlessly able to cheer up any mood, but the the other songs arent bad by any means. There is no doubt in my mind that these guys will get incredibly popular if they keep continuing to make music on this level. Easygoing lyrics, catchy tunes and the ability to make very accessible music will do their part to ensure they'll continue on finding more fans. According to the video interview, done by Breakthru Radio, they are already working on their next demo tapes, so keep an eye on their Bandcamp page for more music to show up. Alternatively, add them on their social sites and wait for news: Facebook, Myspace, Twitter. Looking forward to more, guys.

Your Song Here - 2011 - Volume One: Outer Space

Indie Compilation

[FOR FREE]

http://yoursonghere.bandcamp.com/

• 11 songs to download
• For free
• Direct Download
• Listening recommendations: "Tunnel Vision" by Modern Space Station Furniture, "Star's Song" by Jenni Potts, "Books About UFO's" by Minah Thrones

Deutsch

Es ist recht schwer eine Musik Compilation verschiedener Künstler zu bewerten, da jedes Lied und vor allem jeder Künstler eigentlich einzeln die Aufmerksamkeit verdient hätte. Aus dem Grund hab ich es bisher auch vermieden derartiges auf meinen Blog zu stellen. Allerdings musste ich meine Einstellung dazu überdenken als ich dieses Projekt hier gefunden habe. Es hat mich einfach froh gemacht zu sehen dass derartige Zusammenarbeit auch heute noch möglich ist, und zu derart vielfältigen und interessanten Ergebnissen führen kann. Für dieses Album wurden nicht nur ein paar bereits existierende Lieder zusammengeworfen, sondern meines Wissens alle Lieder für dieses Thema und diese Veröffentlichung neu erstellt. Die Mühe diesem Album ein allumfassendes Thema zu geben, hat sich definitiv gelohnt und hält alle Lieder merklich zusammen. Es gibt einige wirklich empfehlenswerte Songs, vor allem "Star's Song", "Tunnel Vision" and "For Nine Months, Mars Was Home". Diese gehören definitiv zu dem qualitativ hochwertigstem Material was hier zu finden ist, aber ich würde trotzdem empfehlen die Songs alle mal anzuhören da es noch einige andere interessante Songs gibt.
Da es eine Independent Compilation diverser recht unbekannter Musiker ist, gibt es natürlich einige Unstimmigkeiten was die Qualität der Songs anbelangt, da nicht jeder Musiker dieselben Mittel hatte. Jeder hat aber gute Arbeit geleistet, die vorhandenen Mittel zu nutzen um die eigene Vision des Themas "Outer Space" umzusetzen, was zu einem gefälligen und durchaus empfehlenswerten Album führte. Wenn euch einer dieser Musiker besonders gefällt, versucht Ihre Band Seiten zu finden, da es einige Musiker gibt die mehr als nur dieses eine Lied veröffentlicht haben. Ich werde versuchen alle Links die ich finden kann in den Comment Teil unter dem Review zu posten. Aus den Gründen die ich anfangs nannte, werde ich auch keine direkte Bewertung unter dieses Review setzen. Bleibt nicht viel mehr zu sagen als: Dif-tor heh smusma, hoffentlich hören wir mehr von diesem Projekt.

English

Its hard to review a compilation, as every song and especially every artist actually deserve more attention than being one amongst many, which is why I refrained from reviewing a compilation so far. But when I found these guys efforts, I couldn't help but feel happy to see that people still get together to make projects like these. Not only putting together a few songs that were already made, but the efforts to give this release a coherent feel by making songs to a certain topic are easily appreciated. There are a few really good songs on there, I especially recommend checking out "Star's Song", "Tunnel Vision" and "For Nine Months, Mars Was Home". These are among the most polished songs on this record, but give it a complete listen, since a few of the others are also quite charming.

It is an Independent compilation of relatively unknown musicians, so there are a few minor problems as not everyone obviously had the same means for creating their songs, which sometimes shows in the varying quality of the songs. Everyone made a great effort, though, to put out their vision of a song about "Outer Space" which ended in a definitely enjoyable and recommendable album. If you are interested in one of those artist, check out their bandpages, some of them have more music than just one song. I'll put all the links I can find into the comment section later. For the reasons mentioned in the beginning, I also wont directly put a score under this review. Nothing left to say, except: Dif-tor heh smusma, I really hope to hear more from this project.

The Barrelhouse Kings - 2011 - The Pine Mountain Sessions

Blues/ Rock

[FOR FREE]

http://thebarrelhousekings.bandcamp.com

• 5 songs to download
• You name the price (min 0,-)
• You get the link if you register your email address
• Listening recommendations: Mean Ole Woman, What's so Special?

Deutsch

Es gibt einfach Musik die man nicht anders beschreiben kann als mit den Emotionen die Sie auslöst. Unmöglich scheint es, diese Songs anzuhören und sich nicht unwiderstehlich cool zu fühlen. Die Mischung der Instrumentierung durch Harmonika, treibendem Schlagzeug und Gitarrenriffs versetzt den Hörer in das klassische Setting einer amerikanischen Landschaft, allein unter Männern am Lagerfeuer unter klarem Sternenhimmel. Es ist für mich fast unmöglich diese Lieder anzuhören und mir keine derartige Kulisse dafür vorzustellen.
Diese Lieder sind voll mit Emotionen ohne zu sentimental zu werden. Vor allem der Sänger ist unglaublich gut, mit einer sehr markanten Stimme und Textstellen an denen man seine Emotionen aus dem Lied springen fühlt, um jeden zu erreichen der mit Ihm um das gerade erwähnte Lagerfeuer sitzt. Das führt zu Liedern die einen bleibenden Eindruck hinterlassen. "Mean Ole Woman" wird aus genau diesem Grund warscheinlich noch eine Weile in meinem Kopf festhängen. Eines der größten Komplimente die man Kunst wohl machen kann, ist wenn es dieser möglich ist die Grenzen des  Mediums in der es übermittelt wird, zu sprengen und Emotionen direkt an den Hörer übertragen. Diese Band ist darin umwerfend gut. Wenn Ihr die Barrelhouse Kings mögt, solltet Ihr vielleicht auch mal in die Musik von Commissario Tzenko reinhören, auch wenn die Musikrichtung etwas anders ist.

English

There is music that can't be described better than by describing what emotions it triggers. And these songs simply make you feel like a boss. Its impossible not to feel irresistibly cool while listening to these songs. The mixture of a harmonica with some very impulsive drum and guitar sections take you back into the American countryside, living a men's live among men. Live and Learn from what others learned before you, sharing their stories around the campfire in the wild. It seems impossible for me not to make up any kind of setting when I hear these songs.

They put a lot emotions into these songs without being too sentimental about it, especially the singer is fantastic. He's got a very distinct voice and many vocal parts where you feel like his emotions jump out of the song, trying to reach everyone sitting around the aforementioned campfire. This makes for songs leaving a permanent impression. "Mean Ole Woman" will stick with me for a while for that reason. It's one of the greatest compliments anyone can give to art, if it manages to transcend the media its delivered in, and transmit emotion directly affecting the listener. These guys are wonderfully apt at this. If you like this band, chances are you might like Commissario Tzenko as well, despite them making a slightly different kind of sound.